Porcelain Doll
by l'envoi
Summary: When Kira died, Light was taken to death with him. Kira reduced Light into nothing but a broken porcelain doll. However, L is confident to put the pieces back together, no matter what it takes.
1. Chapter 1: Stolen Away

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note._

**Chapter 1:** **Stolen Away**

Light stared at his captors through his long, light-brown bangs. He was currently leaning forward in his seat; he could've lain flat on his thighs too if it were not for the fact that his wrists and ankles were bound behind the metal chair's backrest with handcuffs. He scanned the small, sickeningly white room. It seemed that the blindingly bright fluorescent lamps that hung above his head were to compensate for the room's lack of windows, if not to mock him as well. He glanced over his shoulder as he desperately fidgeted his handcuffed wrists.

He dropped his head in defeat. It was no use. Even if he was miraculously able to break the handcuffs, L was standing _(more like slouching) _in front of him, staring down his prisoner with cold, hard pitch-black eyes. Near, who was encircled by finger puppets, was seated right next to him. Not only was that, but Matt and Mello were also guarding the only door.

"It's over, Kira. You lost the game," Near calmly stated as he flicked one of the figurines in front of him. The Kira finger puppet then thudded noticeably to the ground.

Light's blank look turned into one of pure anguish. "B-but how?" Light scowled, sending a hateful glare to L with those frightening eyes of his. "How did you catch me? I had everything planned perfectly!"

L raised one of his non-existent eyebrows musingly. If he didn't know that Light was furious, he would have assumed that the young man was displaying signs of rabies.

"You are wrong, Kira-kun. You did not plan it perfectly. You see, your defeat was brought about by the fact that you did not take into account the effects of someone working on the inside for us."

When Light gave him a purely dubious look, L continued, "Don't give me that look, Kira-kun. I am sure that you know her very well, but very well, we will reveal to you the bringer of your defeat." And at that moment, Light realized the reason for L's ghost of a smirk when the latter gestured his hand for the traitor to move forward, but he had never expected it to be –

"Rem?" he yelped in surprise. So shocked was he that an invisible force seemed to slam him against the back of his chair.

"Yes, Kira-kun," the detective answered the convict while tilting his head ever so slightly. "She is working for me."

No longer able to control his anger, the brunette lunged his upper body forward. "B-but I thought you were working for me! YOU TRAITOR! I thought you wanted the best for Misa! I guess not because-"

Rem silenced him with a firm: "It is for Misa."

"Yes. It is for Misa-san. You see, Kira-kun, Rem-san knew that Kira has a much greater chance of getting Misa killed than me," L explained blandly, "Therefore, she struck a deal with me. She would help me catch the real Kira, and I in turn would drop all my suspicions against her. And that brings us-" he lowered himself into a crouch to lower himself with Kira's distressed face, "-to now."

He then stood up and nodded at Mello to continue. "Then, L called his three successors from England in order to perfect the plan against Kira," Mello continued, holding a hand forward as a sign of explanation. "That was when L died from a heart attack, and Rem supposedly dissolved into sand. If things ended there, you may have been able to win, but you didn't know about _this._" The blond quickly held out what seemed to be a block in his palm. "This is a Death Eraser. Erase a person's name from the Death Note with this, and the person will come back to life. Before she started to dissolve, she quickly erased L's name and kept the both of them from dying."

Mello sank into the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets, signaling Matt to continue for him. The redhead nodded and stood forward. "The Task Force then staged the whole funeral. It seems they got you pretty good there, buddy. You didn't suspect a thing, and that's when we showed up. You thought you killed us as well, but Rem was able to sneak in and erase our names. And then we played a little act, then you fall right into our trap and confess. You walked right into our little charade, but I have to say-" Matt sneaked in a little snigger. "-it was fun!"

Now, it was Near's turn. "You played well, Kira, but it doesn't matter. You are still the loser in this game."

L then glowered at the bounded one. "Light Yagami is in fact Kira, the original human owner of the Death Note. Light-kun will be executed in this very room today. Do you have any last words,_killer_?"

Light hung his head forward, his piercing red eyes hidden behind his blood-red bangs. "Yes, I do," he whispered, and ended his statement with a smirk. Suddenly, he threw his head back and started laughing maniacally, tears flowing from his eyes from its intensity. Then, he quietly added: "You are all fools," before almost choking on his laughter once more.

The laugh was completely unexpected. If any of them were a lesser man, they would all have been paralyzed with shock from the nauseating, piercing feeling from his laugh. However, that is not the case. "What do you mean by that, Light-kun?" We beat you," L interjected.

Kira's laugh slowly died down into chuckles, and he turned his face away, smiling knowingly to himself as the others gave him stares that questioned his sanity. _(But then again, he was never sane in the first place.) _"You say that you have won, but in fact, you haven't. In fact, you haven't been able to uncover my TRUE identity! I AM KIRA and nothing attached. Don't you see? I AM the spirit of the Death Note Near is holding right now. I AM the Death Note!"

L narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Don't be so _silly_, Light-kun-"

"YOU are the one who's being _silly_, L. All of you. Even you, Rem." He turned his gaze to the upper-left corner of the room. "And you too, Ryuk."

"Heh." Ryuk sifted through the room's ceiling. "You got me there, Light."

Kira closed his eyes in frustration. "I am not Light." He clicked his tongue when he turned his head to the side arrogantly. "Since Ryuk is here, let me prove it to you." He faced the Shinigami with a malevolent stare. "Ryuk, you don't know that the notebook you dropped was possessed, did you? Silly Ryuk. You should have known that before you stole that particular one from the Death God King."

Ryuk gave a dark chuckle that made even L wince. (_What is it with all the laughing today?)_ He then nonchalantly turned his head towards the humans. "Hey, L. This guy's the real deal. I haven't told the kid about the theft. Heck, I didn't even tell him about the Death God King. This is…just so interesting!" He howled with amusement as he took another glance at smirking murderer.

Everyone turned towards Kira, who looked seemingly like he would blow his head off from laughter. "SEE? I told you! Light is just a human I possessed in order to pass out my judgment. It doesn't matter if you execute me; as long as that notebook exists, I will always be alive."

"Well then, in that case, we'll just burn the notebook," Near announced, and he deftly caught the lighter Matt threw at him. He held out the items to his predecessor. "L-sama? Would you like to do the honors?"

"Yes." L then reached down and plucked the two items from Near's outstretched arms. "This is goodbye, Kira-kun." Then, he raised the lighter closer and-

"Are you THAT ready to lose your best friend, L?"

L stopped dead in his tracks. He turned towards the young man, still holding the lighter very close to the Death Note. _A little too close for Kira's comfort._ "What do you mean? Kira is my enemy-"

Kira smirked. "I mean, Light."

The detective snapped his head to the murderer. "What do you mean? Once you are gone, Light will be free."

Kira grin just grew even wider, his red eyes growing more frightening in the lighting. "Didn't you listen? I am in Light's body. I control him. I HAVE HIM. **I POSSESS HIS BEING! **And if you kill me, I will take Light to death with me. His body may remain, but his mind and heart won't. Just as nothing will be left of me, there will be nothing left of him! So, L, WILL you burn the notebook?

L, for once, didn't know what to do. He glanced down at the objects in his hands. _'Should I, or shouldn't I? I do not want to lose Light, especially now that I know that he is in there somewhere. But I cannot let Kira murder. Even if I do get him out of Light, he will just keep coming back, seeing as he can possess anyone who touches the Death Note. But will I kill my own friend? But I must serve justice. But…'_

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard someone scream his name.

"**L!**"

He turned towards the origin of the sound. "Please, L!" It was Light – _the real Light_. Light was desperately leaping forward from the restraints. "Just do it, L! Burn it already!"

But L couldn't. He just couldn't. He hadn't seen Light in such a long time, and he couldn't help but be completely relieved. He didn't notice how badly he missed him. It made his heart twinge at the though of never being with his friend again. "But Light-kun, I-I'd never be able to see you again."

"Please, L! Do it!" Light was shaking violently in his seat. "I can't hold him back much longer! AH-!" He was squirming even more brutally as the five watched Light and Kira battle for dominance. "Please, L! AH!- Do me a favor…agh, and…STOP KIRA!"

Immediately, the flames engulfed the Death Note. As it burned, Kira was convulsing in agony. "Why- did you…ARGH!- have to…DO THAT! YOU…SUCK!" he said in between screams. "But…if I'm going down…I'm taking Light with me!" He started cackling again before he suddenly stopped in mid-cackle. Suddenly, his head hung forward limply.

Throwing the lighter to the ground, L made his way to the limp body and shook its shoulder furiously. "Light! LIGHT!" _There' still a chance that I can save him!_

Light looked up at him with HIS chocolate brown eyes, a sincere smile graced his lips. "L?"

L smiled back, relieved. _'Light's still here.'_ So relieved was L that he wrapped his arms around the brunette – something very un-L-like.

Light closed his eyes and sank into the embrace. "Yes, I am," he said soothingly," "And now there is no more-" The sound was caught in his throat, and he slowly felt himself numb all over.

"What's wrong, Light-kun?" The detective kept his arms on Light's shoulder and was left in horror as the brightness of Light's eyes slowly fade away.

"I'm sorry, L," he said, his voice sounding further and further away – _somewhere where no one can return from._ "I'm slipping…I'm leaving…after…all…"

And now all that was left of his friend's eyes was a blank, lifeless stare _(and surely his being was in the same state as well)_.

L was so stunned that he had forgotten the fact that his successors were present, so it was a great surprise to see them nudge him.

Sullenly, he looked over his shoulder. "Near." The young boy's pitch-black eyes with L's much more sullen, wistful ones. "No one won. We may have rid the world of Kira…but we have also lost an invaluable ally to him."

_My best friend._

**Author's Notes: **YAY! I have finally offered something to the Death Note fandom. It has always been my state of mind that one is not truly a fan unless one looks through and creates gifts for the fandom in the form of cosplay, fan-fiction, fan-art, etc. And now, I have offered mine. This is the first one to come in a long line, I believe. I got this idea from the rows of plush toys that sit on my cabinet in my room. And I wrote this for two hours straight in my So-Dark-Blue-It-Looks-Black Notebook when I SHOULD have been doing my projects. TEE-HEE. You'll understand later on as the story progresses (the toy thing, not the notebook thing or the evils of Drafting. No one will. :( ). AnyHOO, I should stop ranting and let you start reading the story (and getting to bed). Have a good time. Please leave reviews. You don't have to, but they'll really brighten up my day. :D RAWR!


	2. Chapter 2: Jolted

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note._

**PORCELAIN DOLL**

**Chapter 2: ****Jolted**

Boredom was not an emotion Yagami Sayu carried well. Much like her brother, she would **kill **just to get rid of that dreaded feeling. Unfortunately for her, today seemed like another boring day.

As she watched her mother scurry around the house in her tornado of cleanliness, the dark-haired girl couldn't help but wish that she could be occupied with something as well. The Internet was great and all, but browsing though it with no one to chat to or any good videos of Ryuuga Hideki could only satisfied her for so long. Origami became very tedious after the 659th paper crane. She wasn't allowed to go outside without meeting a friend, and all of her friends were on out-of-town trips with their respective families.

With almost all means of entertainment abandoning her, she decided to just sit quietly on the sofa and wait for the new drama starring Ryuuga Hideki to air on television. And even thought it WAS about Ryuuga Hideki, she would switch the television off violently if the lame commercial for some badly-made kids show was going to play for much longer.

Succumbing to the painful sting of defeat, she let out a long, hearty sigh as she clicked the off button on the remote control. She then proceeded to sprawl her thin arms on the sofa's arm rest. It wasn't the best idea though…

"SHOOT!" she squeaked as she fumbled to catch the airborne picture frame. Boredom was dangerous as well. She almost knocked down the picture frame that stood on a small coffee table right beside the sofa.

Luckily, her fast reflexes were able to save her from a chastisement. She was about to place the frame back on the table when something in the picture caught her eye.

She quickly brought it closer for inspection, holding it at its sides with her dainty fingers. Imprinted on the glossy paper was the picture of a ten year old Yagami Sayu sitting on a thirteen year old Yagami Light's shoulders. She was sending the camera two peace signs with a huge smile planted on her face; it was funny how her dainty little fingers were peeking out of the long sleeves of her orange hoodie. Light looked like he was about to double over with laughter as he held her two slim dangling legs firmly to his shoulders, so she wouldn't fall off. His long-sleeved, light-grey hoodie and long, baggy dark-blue pants were clung to his skin. In the background was a light-brown bridge that overlooked a large, sparkling river which was surrounded by towering greeneries.

She remembered that day very well. Her father decided to bring them all to the countryside to relax. They resided in a quaint wooden cabin that was located deep in the heart of a forest. She remembered that the picture was taken after they had gone fishing. Sayu, being the mischievous little fox that she was, pushed her brother into the lake when his back was turned. What she didn't take into account was her brother's own trickiness, and got pulled into the water as a result. She also remembered how her mother chuckled at the two of them. _"Dear me. I believe that the hospital must have not given me my real children. I know that I am supposed to have a son and a daughter, not two sneaky foxes!"_ her mother joked.

If her Onii-san was there, she would never be bored.

_Besides,' _she mused happily, _'how can you be bored when you have the nicest, handsomest, and most intelligent older brother in the world?'_

Her small smile turned into a frown as she embraced the picture frame, holding it close to her heart.

She hadn't seen her Onii-san(1) in a very long time. Sadly, she remembered how distant he had become in the past months.

'_Was it something I did?'_ she thought, a pang of worry rushing through her. _'Did I do something wrong?'_

She would have pondered about that more if only the phone wasn't ringing madly on the same coffee table next to her.

She was just about to grab the receiver when her hand suddenly pulled back. An ill feeling washed over her as she stared at the ringing phone.

_(After all, who ever knew…)_

Shaking off the irrational fear, she grabbed the phone like she had intended to and chirped a cheerful "Moshi moshi!"

_(…that a simple phone call…)_

She was paralyzed with shock after hearing the man from the other line. Her eyes were dilated, and her mouth hung open. She didn't even notice the phone drop to the floor. Her hand was still by her left ear, gripping the air.

She couldn't feel anything except for her mother shaking her shoulders.

"Sayu! What's wrong?" her mother shouted.

The response was automatic. And, like boulders, the words tumbled off from her lips.

"Something bad happened to Onii-san."

_(…could end your normal day.)_

**Footnotes: **(1) Onii-san – older brother

**Author's Notes: **Hello there! :D First and foremost, I would like to thank all of my readers. Thank you very much for reading this little fic of mine. :) Also, thank you very much for all the reviews. I just love it when I read the feedback. They really brighten up my day and motivate me to write. :) I would also like to apologize for taking so long. I know that I promised to upload this last October, but I couldn't word it properly and I didn't have time. I am very sorry. :( I really need to stop reading DN fics and start writing (or better yet, studying. I need to pull up my grades.)

Actually, this chapter is supposed to be longer, but I cut it into two parts, so I'll try to type part two tonight. YAY. :D Sayu will be appearing a lot in my fic. She's a really cool character, and I'm just into the sibling relationship. :D


	3. Chapter 3: Startled

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note._

**PORCELAIN DOLL  
Chapter 3: ****Startled**

L blinked to make sure that he had seen right.

Yes, he had seen many surprising (and supernatural) thing before, yet he was still shocked to see Sayu bursting the door open after merely three minutes of calling the Yagami household.

That was…virtually impossible. He had monitored Light's travel time from his home to the Headquarters before after all. It takes ten minutes to travel in the most favorable conditions, and there was no way he miscalculated. But, there she was with one arm propped against the doorframe to maintain her balance, panting heavily.

He could tell that the rest were equally – if not more – shocked. All eyes were on the dark-haired girl, like in some kind of fixation. L wondered to himself if they could handle the shock that he knew was to come.

He watched Soichiro jump off his seat and run to his daughter's aid.

However, as he was only a few centimeters away from her, Sayu extended one of her palms to him as she continued to gasp for breath.

"I'm…okay…" she said in between pants. "Where…is…Onii-san…?"

Shortly, Sachiko appeared beside Sayu in the similar exhausted state, only she held unto her knees instead of the doorframe for support.

"What…happened…?"

Soichiro seemed to be contemplating for a while for his gaze grew distant. "I'm…not sure. Ryuuzaki was just about to explain it to us." He motioned to L.

All eyes snapped to the raven-haired man who was crouching on a large, black leather armchair. They wanted answers…now.

L could feel their eyes boring into his being. He gulped slightly. Despite being the world's (three) greatest detective(s), he was very nervous. He had never spoken to such a large group of people face-to-face before. Sure, he had spoken to the ICPO, but that was from behind a computer screen. He couldn't feel the officers staring him down and breathing down his neck much like a predator breathes down on its prey from his laptop! It made him feel nauseous and very sick inside. Not only that, but they were forcing him to speak about his only friend's death! The thought just made his stomach churn.

But he was L, **the L**! And being L, he **could** pull it off. No, he **NEEDED** to pull it off! The position required him to.

Therefore, he took a deep yet unnoticed breath and slipped into the logical albeit indifferent mask he had created over the years.

_('Light-kun should be __**glad**__ that I'm so stubborn', he thought to himself. 'This would have been so much harder had I not been.)_

"Thank you very much for coming here today at such short notice," he stated coolly. "I would like all of you to know that everyone in this room have been concerned with Kira – either a supporter, or an officer trying to bring him to justice. For all of you here who have been doing their best to do to latter – the Task Force and the SPK, I congratulate you all. Through all of your efforts, Kira had been caught and executed."

He stepped out of his chair sluggishly, lifting himself on the armrests. He was able to stand straight, but quickly fell back to his usual slouched stance.

He trudged towards the door of the white room as the crowd kept their silent gazes fixated on him.

As he let his spindly fingers rest on the cool doorknob, he looked over his shoulders and announced: "I would like to show you all the one identified as 'Kira'."

He allowed a few gasps from the crowd to escape. L didn't blame them. He knew that they were never expecting to actually this. Catch Kira, maybe; but see?

'_This is just going to make things harder,'_ L though with a frown, but continued anyway:

"I would like you to follow me please."

And despite the fact that they were all very dignified people, everyone shuffled out of their seats with a sense of urgency (or was it excitement?) and clamored around him.

He gave them a noncommittal shrug before twisting the doorknob with his pale, slender fingers and pushed the door wide open.

Sayu was half-heartedly listening to the strange, raven-haired man. Why did he call her mother and her? Neither of them had ever done anything that concerned Kira before, let alone anything that concerned his capture. And who really were all these people? Seeing her father in the room didn't surprise her at all. He had been working on the Kira case actually, since he was the Chief of the NPA after all. But…what did it have to do with Light-nii?

Wait.

The puzzle pieces were converging.

Light-nii had been working on the Kira case with Otou-san(1)! Why else would he have been gone for so long?

Her hands went cold. Did something happen to Onii-san? Was he hurt?

She prayed to God that he wasn't hurt.

So concentrated in prayer was she that she barely noticed the rest rising from their seats to follow the strange man into another room. If it were not for the fact that a long blonde-haired woman dressed in formal attired didn't nudge her to the door, she wouldn't have noticed at all.

Giving the older one a polite nod, she walked towards the crowd of people.

She heard the door open, and she shuffled behind the others as they entered the beautifully white room.

It was a very nice room, she thought. It had an ethereal glow because of the purity of the white walls. It reminded her of that room that Ryuuga Hideki had been in in an episode of—

Suddenly, the others stopped. She wondered why the abrupt end and wasted no time to make her way to the front of the crowd.

Nothing had ever prepared her for this scene.

It was Kira.

He was handcuffed to a metal chair. His light-brown hair feel freely from his bowed head. He wore a slightly unzipped, long-sleeved black jacket that revealed a cotton white undershirt. It was matched with his long black pants and black sneakers.

It seemed that he was in his late teen or early twenties.

She had never expected Kira to be so…young. She expected an older, more menacing-looking man, and the gasps from the others told her that they expected the same.

But when she turned to face her father, only sadness could be seen in his tired, dark eyes.

Her stomach turned. Kira looked familiar…too familiar…

'_The light-brown hair…'_ She prayed that he wasn't who she thought he was.

"And before I continue," She turned towards the strange man who was now standing next to Kira's limp form. He seemed like he was going to explain something once again. "I would like to identify Kira-kun and me."

Everyone's ears perked up at that last line. She even leant forward from her seat. And who wouldn't? She believe that only those present in this very room at this very day would ever know Kira's true identity.

So she leant forward, still clutching unto her silent wish.

"I am L," he said, plain and simple.

Her eyes bulged in shock. This man was the world's greatest detective, L? She scanned his being quickly. He was nothing like the sophisticated, grand older man she had always imagine L to be, yet something told her that he was telling them the truth. Maybe it was her intuition, or the confident and intelligent aura that practically exuded from his being that convinced her. Either way, she just **knew** that he was L.

She bit her lower lip in worry. If she was right about him being L, then would her inference on Kira's be true?

Her stomach clenched in fear. _'No, it can't be…'_ she thought. _'My brother is __**NOT **__a murderer!'_

She laced her fingers together instinctively, sending her prayer to God yet again, her gaze never leaving the two figures in front of her.

"And this is Kira's person," the man now dubbed as L said, gesturing to the chained man. "He is…" He paused. He seemed to be hesitant to continue. He bit his lower lip as well, and she could have sword that he shot her a worried glance.

She gripped her fingers tighter. It **can't** be true…

She watched him place a pale hand on the brunet's shoulder. L's eyes were completely hidden underneath his dark bangs (A defense mechanism?) as he successfully stated as stoically as he could:

"Yagami Light."

And maybe…just maybe it was because her mother wouldn't seem to accept it (or maybe it was the own look of disbelief on Sayu's face) for L placed his free hand under the brunet's chin and lifted it gently to reveal his seemingly sleeping face to everyone in the room.

And Sayu could recognize that face anywhere.

And it was funny how surprised people sometimes become even when they had expected it the whole time because Sayu only saw herself moving in flashes.

Sprinting towards Light's bound form.

Shaking his shoulders violently.

Falling on her knees.

Calling out to him desperately.

Staring up at L's towering figure pleadingly.

"Bring Onii-san back!" she heard herself cry out, watching the detective through her teary eyes.

How tall (how unreachable) L looked at that moment, silhouetted against the blinding fluorescent lights. She knew that he was looking down on her (in more than one way for her current statewas quite a pitiful sight). But the concept of pride never really meant anything to Sayu. (If she needed to be looked down on just so her brother would come back, she would let the whole world watch her from above a pretty little pedestal.)

"BRING HIM BACK!"

L felt like his heart (it was still there?) was shattering from the pure tragedy heard in the young girl's voice.

He had sent many criminals to the execution chamber before, but he had never **ever** seen how their families reacted (and how they cried and how they wailed at the death of their sullied yetstill loved loved one). And hearing her wails just made him want to burst into tears as well.

But then that logical (_annoying)_ little voice in his head told him, "No. You can't do that! You're L, and you have a reputation to protect!"

So he watched her watch him back through hidden glazed eyes, allowing her sobs and scream to claw through his heart and slash his soul to shreds painfully for the time being.

**Footnotes: **(1) Otou-san – Father

**Author's Notes:** AHA! :D You thought that I wouldn't update so soon, didn't you? :P I fooled you there. :D

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :D This is almost the other half of the chapter I wrote in my notebook. It's a lot longer than I remember it to be. :P Chapter 3 anyone? :D

Well, things are really getting…may I say it…interesting. :) I hope that I depicted the Sayu and L well. I want to capture their souls (LOL. XD) in this one. :D (I'm sorry about making L wonder if he still had a heart. It's just that...he probably didn't feel for a long time, now didn't he?) It's just natural to assume. Would you mind telling me if I did? :D

The next chapter won't be coming up for some time because my long weekend is almost over, and I REALLY need to start studying (and getting to bed before my parents climb up the stairs. D: ) (NOES! TOO LATE! D: )

Thank you again for all your reviews. :D I hope that you enjoy my fic. (And I hope that I enjoy getting to bed. DX)


	4. Chapter 4: Enlightening

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note._

**PORCELAIN DOLL  
Chapter 4: ****Enlightened**

All things have their limits, and L knew that he was reaching his.

As he continued to watch the girl throw an emotional fit, he wondered where his cool indifference went. In the past, he could easily evaluate the situation, lay down the most logical plan, and execute the task required, then get the job done proficiently.

He used this neat, efficient little system to solve all of the cases he had encountered, he had at one point, thought that it was applicable to any and all situations that required solving…

…He, however, hadn't taken emotions into account.

The detective grumbled inwardly. This is **exactly** why he was always so detached to everyone else. Things like emotions and personalities were always loopholes in his theories; they were the reasons why people lie, steal, hurt, and kill in the first place! It was the reason **WHY** Light picked up the Death Note in the first place, **WHY** he felt his stomach churn when he saw Light's blank cinnamon eyes, **WHY** Sayu was currently crying her eyes out on her brother's cold shoulder, and **WHY **he would rather curl up and die rather than let this waterfall of tragedy and guilt and dormant emotions topple down on him and crush him completely.

Unfortunately, the choice was not his to decide.

And yet again, his position as L was the sole reason why he was taking all the hurt in the first place (and he just continued to watch the girl with that blank stare of his as turbulent emotions crashed inside him).

"Why won't you say anything?" she asked in a hushed albeit choked tone.

"Because you are in a very emotional and unstable state of being, Yagami-chan," he stated smoothly. "I am waiting for you to regain your senses before I continue, for you will surely not listen to reason if I discussed the details now."

'_Neither of us would,'_ he finished mentally.

"R-reason?" she exclaimed, shaking even more violently than before. "Is that the only thing you care about?

Supposedly, he said to himself.

After all, that was how he was trained to do. **ONLY** reason was supposed to be of any importance to him. He was a detective, and detectives needed to be calm and detached - with absolutelyno regards to their own feelings – in order to serve justice.

Yes, justice. It was **all** that he lived for before…

…But now…

"How can you be so heartless?" she cried out with all the hurt and confusion she held in her being. It was so similar to the way Light cried out with his own anxiety when his father pointed a gun against his forehead during the fake execution the latter and L had planned.

He almost laughed at the irony of it. **Heartless?** If he had been as _**heartless**_ as she claimed him to be, he wouldn't be in this emotional mess in the first place. He wouldn't be willing himself not to drop down in a maniacal fit at that very moment.

_**But what did she know?**_ She knew nothing of the Kira Case or the fact that he was L before this very day. And how could she possibly know how her brother killed countless criminals, or how L found him as a suspect, or what measures L had taken to prove Light's guilt, or how the brunet lost his memories for sometime, or how they worked with each other 24/7 to catch the Yotsuba Kira, or how an unusual albeit comforting friendship formed during that time (_the friendship that L- unknown to everyone including the detective himself- had been yearning for all his life)_? And he doubted that she would ever know just how **horrible** L really felt when Kira whisked Light away to death with him.

And although it was evident that she knew the helplessness and sadness one feels when one loses a brother, she would never truly know the guilt one feels when a friend dies BECAUSE of you. **Never.**

"How could you execute Light-nii?" she bawled. "He had so much talent! You could have let him work with you on your cases to repent for his crimes instead of killing him, even though he was Kira-"

"I never said that Light-kun was Kira," L interjected, falling out of his usual indifferent persona.

"Bu- but you s-said that Light-nii was Kira-" she stuttered, snapping her gaze from L, to Light, then to L again.

"Please do not misunderstand me," he said, raising his thumb thoughtfully to his lips. "Kira was _**indeed**_executed. By Kira, I mean the spirit of the Death Note."

At this moment, Watari, who was standing by the door since the beginning of the discussion, promptly handed L the manila folder that held the evidences, and then quickly returned to his spot.

L gave him a polite nod before he opened the folder. He quickly shuffled through the thick wad of files, and then daintily plucked out a picture of the Death Note.

"This is its photograph. Believe it or not, this was Kira's killing device. It is a supernatural notebook, and the human whose name is written in it shall die. To kill, one simply needs to imagine his/her victim's face and write down his/her victim's name."

"Wait," one of the investigators interjected. "You said that Kira was the **SPIRIT** of the notebook. Since you are suggesting that he has no physical form, how on Earth did he **write** all those names?"

L gave the said investigator a blank stare as he continued: "I think that it is obvious enough at this point…"

"A-are you implying that Kira somehow gained control of Yagami Light?" he sputtered.

"Why are you so shocked? Of course Kira must have! If Kira can do something so extraordinary as to kill with only a name and face, there is a good chance that he may also have other supernatural abilities!" another scolded.

"Both of you are correct," L announced, taking control of the conversation before another outburst was created. He needed all of them (including himself) to be as calm as possible. "Apparently, aside from his more obvious capability, he uses humans as vessels in order to perform his judgment, for he has no body of his own. I presume that he chooses his vessel from the humans who hold his notebook. Some of these people are Amane Misa, Kiyomi Takada, and Teru Mikami. The three stated are currently present in the room." After watching the investigators look at every face they saw with suspicion, he added: "Please do not look for them. You are straying from the topic."

He directed his gaze to Light . "Light-kun was the only one of the holders to be fully possessed by Kira. He saw the Death Note fall from the sky during one of his classes and picked it up afterwards. He was reluctant in using it at first, but then Kira was quickly able to infiltrate his mind and twist Light-kun's thoughts and principles. It was the only reason why he continued writing. Kira was slowly able to gain almost total control over Light-kun, but then lost it when he forced Light-kun to relinquish the Death Note during Light-kun's imprisonment, so to avoid being caught. Light-kun lost all his memories concerning the Death Note at this point. I kept him under surveillance 24/7 after that, and the two of us worked together to catch the Yotsuba Kira, Kiyosuke Higuchi. The Death Note's existence was first revealed to the Task Force during Higuchi's arrest."

He raised a pale digit to his lip. "Unfortunately, Light grabbed it from me while we were in the helicopter, and all the memories flooded back, along with Kira of course." At this point, his voice was filled with malice. "He then proceeded to kill Higuchi, so to retain the memories even when he wasn't holding the notebook. My 'death' was inevitable at that time. Because of Kira's return, I had to formulate a new plan according to the knowledge I have gained on the Death Note. One of which is the discovery of the 'Death Eraser.' It nullifies the effect of the Death Note. The human whose name is erased from the Death Note will come back to life. I asked for further assistance from my successors: Matt, Mello, and Near. We knew that he would kill all of us in order to advance in his plans; therefore, we allowed him to. We were then brought back to life when he was certain that we were dead. Using this false assumption, Near 'replaced' me as L and tricked Kira to confess. We were prepared to execute Light-kun today in this very room through lethal injection. Kira must have been desperate to keep both Light-kun and himself alive in order to continue his plans, for he revealed to us his true identity as the spirit of the notebook. He said that he would bring Light-kun to death with him if we burned his notebook. We had no choice but to eliminate Kira. There is no such thing as righteous killing. Though he killed mostly criminals, it is murder all the same. We couldn't reform him either, for he exists only to kill."

A contemplative silence hung over them. Everyone was taking the time to digest all the information they have recently received in order to move forward efficiently and wisely. However, as the other simply soaked in the data, the members of the Kira Task Force and the Yagami family wore pensive – if not, remorseful – looks on their pale countenances as they glanced at the motionless bound figure of the young man some of them had nurtured, another had grown up with, other had worked with, but all came to know and cherish.

L gave the photograph of the Death Note in his hand a forlorn glance before tucking it carelessly in his pocket, effectively creasing it beyond distinction.

Yagami Soichiro was the first one to break the stillness. "So, L, why did you choose to tell us all this with my son's corpse present?" L heard the usually stoic man's voice crack with grief.

"I choose to do so because I believe that Light-kun deserves to have his name cleared in front of all of you. I can only tell you all this information once. I hope that none of you find him of any fault for the murders. He was merely being used."

Sayu, who had detached herself from her older brother, hung her head in sorrow. "Of course, L," she said in between sobs. "It's just good to know that my brother wasn't a murderer."

"Of course, Yagami-chan." L looked at the sobbing girl compassionately. He wished that there was a better way to comfort her, but all he could do was to give her the space she needed.

His gaze wandered over Light's still form.

He bit his lip.

It was time.

"I am sorry for doing this, Yagami-chan," he said as composedly as he could.

He faced his father figure. "Watari, would you please help me bring Light-kun out of the room?"

Watari nodded dejectedly. "Of course, L."

Watari was already unlocking the chains when a small voice called out.

"L-san, would you mind if I gave my Onii-san one last hug?"

The question was so heartfelt, so frailly-said; L just **couldn't** say 'no'.

"Of course not, Yagami-chan."

She then promptly flung herself on her brother, linking her fingers around his neck, weeping uncontrollably.

Then, she suddenly sprung away from him.

With her eyes wide in shock and joy, she jumped up excitedly. "Okaa-san! Otou-san! L-san! Ligh- Light-nii's alive! I felt his pulse!" she stuttered.

"What?" The crowd breathed collectively.

L snapped his head towards Watari and his successors.

"Change of plan!"

**Author's Notes**: WOAH! TWIST! :D

Yes! I finally put up the third chapter! Thank you very much for waiting! I'm sorry for not being able to type down this chapter sooner. I was so busy during the holidays and school. ._. But it's finally done!

The ending was thrown in last minute. (That's the reason why it's so weak. XD ) I was thinking of a sad ending, but then I like the exciting ending a lot more. It also adheres to my plot a lot more. :D

But anyway, I was finally able to break the curse! I usually cannot get past writing the third chapter! This is a big achievement! :D

Thanks to coolwolf730 for the support! I couldn't finish this chapter without you! :D

Now, off to work on Chapter 4! I can assure all of you that Chapter 4 won't be posted for a LONG time. XDDD As much as I'd like to work on it, I have to go to school (GROAN) and work on my upcoming multi-chapter fic "Oh Brother". I just love daydreaming it. I can't wait.

Please review. :D


	5. Chapter 5: Waiting

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note._

**PORCELAIN DOLL  
Chapter 5: ****Waiting**

Waiting had to be the most nerve-racking part of all.

There was no more Sayu could do other than sit quietly by her brother's bedside.

She was slouching in her seat with her shoulders hunched forward. She bowed her head to take a closer look at her clasped hands, a long curtain of dark hair streaming down the sides of her face. Her knuckles were frighteningly white from squeezing her fingers together in silent prayer for too long. She loosened her grip and shuddered slightly from the tingling sensation of blood rushing into her fingertips.

She slowly raised her eyes. Ever so slowly, her gaze inched from the marble floor up one of the bed's metal legs…but just when she caught the slightest glimpse of Light's motionless form, she dropped her head between her knees.

Her vision suddenly went black. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she could feel its agitated beating against her thighs.

_Not yet…_she wasn't ready to take a closer look at him just yet. _If she looked, could she take the sight? _

Her stomach churned, and her temples throbbed. She started feeling light-headed, but she didn't know what was to blame. Was it because of her awkward position, or her restlessness? Either way, she did not budge. She kept her forehead against her knees until she could no longer ignore her aching neck's cry for relief.

She pulled up her head, focusing on everything other than the bed in front of her, until her gaze fell on the closed window directly across the room. The sea-green curtains were drawn to the sides, letting a faint stream of golden light filter into the dim hospital room.

Nightfall was nearing. Her dark brown eyes were fixated on the mass of glistening leaves rustling against the deep orange sky.

With her fingers loosely laced together on her lap, she idly twiddled her thumbs.

It was early afternoon when she first entered the room with Otou-san and Matsuda-san. Had only a couple hours passed by? It seemed so much longer than that.

She no longer felt content with playing with her fingers. Without looking, she reached out for a piece of square paper from the table next to her and began creasing it absentmindedly.

To her, time was distorted. Moments dripped by with painful slowness.

Her eyes were drawn to the electrocardiogram sitting on a high shelf. Two parallel green lines ran across the black screen, spiking up ever so often – much like how tranquil water splashes upward when disturbed – before falling back to equilibrium. Lazy beeping sounds, which accompanied its rise, bounced off the walls.

She caught sight of the oxygen line and followed its trail down to the oxygen mask which cupped Light's lower face.

Sayu had to face the inevitable. She had to look at Light.

With heavy eyes, she studied his features. His eyelids were draped so loosely over his eyes that it seemed even the slightest noise would cause them to flutter open. She could see the hazy image of her brother's parted lips through the oxygen mask's mist-covered surface. For the first time in the longest of time, Light looked genuinely relaxed.

For such a young, handsome man, Light had many wrinkles on his face. Not the great furrows forever displayed on an old man's, but little creases and lines that would scrunch the edges of his features for a moment after his mind crumpled with worry and anxiety.

Sayu had always noticed them. The little wrinkles that would appear whenever he said, _Nothing much. Same old, same old,_ after Okaa-san would ask him about his day. The dark bags underneath his eyes that seemed to grow even darker whenever he explained, _Just another sleepless night, that's all. College and its never-ending requirements_. The crinkles that dug at the edges of his lips whenever he smiled and told her, _Everything's fine, _after she would ask him if anything was bothering him.

(And Sayu knew he was lying every single time.)

But now...

She leaned out of her seat to brush stray light-bangs off his eyelids. She couldn't see even the faintest crease, even the slightest hint of disturbance on his sleeping face.

Right now, he was free from it all. Free from all the stress: of being a Kira suspect, of being a young genius, of being a NPA investigator, of being a model son. He was finally getting the rest he deserved for so long…

She pressed her lips together in a firm, straight line. She felt her eyebrows furrow together in worry.

How long would Light-nii stay like this? Days? Months? _Years?_ What if…what if he stayed like this forever?

_**What if he would never wake up…?**_

She shuddered out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

'_No,'_ she told herself. _'Onii-san will wake up! He will!'_

But then again…wasn't it already a miracle that he was even breathing? Everyone was so sure that he was…_(The word made her gulp.)_

Yes, everyone was so sure; but when she embraced him, she felt a spark of life in him, as if glowing embers fighting to rekindle the fire.

But what if those embers were cooling off? Her big brother Light: the person whom she looked up to all her life, whose brilliance and wit always astounded her, whose calm and collected personality calmed her jumpy heart countless times, who could handle anything that was handed to him with ease, whom she believed was invincible…

Here he was, lying absolutely still on a hospital bed, clad in a hospital gown, an I.V. line attached to his wrist. He seemed so fragile that the dark-haired girl was afraid that a sudden gust of wind could blow him away.

And it distressed her to no end that there was nothing she could do to help him.

L, Otou-san, and Okaa-san were busy talking to the doctors. If there was a group of people who could make something happen, it was them. She knew just how competent they were.

The most she, his little sister, could do was to watch over him and pray that he would open his eyes soon.

And with that thought, she held up the well-crumpled sheet of origami paper she was holding unto the whole time. She folded it in half and pinched its edges. She turned it over on her hands and crimped it until it took the form of a paper crane. She held it with his fingertips close to her face, closed her eyes, and whispered to it: _**"Please let Light-nii wake up."**_

She opened her eyes and placed the new paper crane next to the rest of them on the table. 273…she had now folded 273 paper cranes during her stay in the room. And to each paper crane, she had murmured that single prayer.

She looked at the window again. It was getting dark. She stood up to switch on more lights; and on command, the fluorescent lamps fixed to the ceiling flickered to life.

She was heading towards her chair when she heard someone knocking on the door. Was it Otou-san? Okaa-san? Maybe even, Matsuda-san?

Her dark-brown eyes couldn't help but widen when she found two teenagers on the other side of the door. One was a blond dressed in shiny black leather. The other was a redhead sporting a wide-necked, long-sleeved striped black-and-white T-shirt.

The blond leaned against the doorframe. "Yo. I'm Mello."

"And I'm Matt," the redhead interjected. "You're Sayu, right?"

She lightly bit her lower lip. She took a good look at them before she nodded.

Mello let out a little smirk. "It's ok. L sent us to check up on you and Light Yagami."

"He also sent us to deliver you some dinner," Matt chirped. To prove his point, he pulled out from behind him a cart full of cover plates.

"So there's no need to have your guard up." Mello jerked his head, as if pointing at something.

Sayu looked down. She had unconsciously brought her hands in front of her chest to serve as some sort of arm shield. "Ah…s-sorry about that," she stuttered. She lowered her arms and raised her head to look straight at the two of them. "T-thank you very much."

"No problem," Mello replied. "Mind if we keep you company?"

"O-of course not. Come right in. Let me get some chairs." She held the door wide open, so Matt could wheel in the cart into the room. Mello followed him inside.

She was locking the door when she heard Mello answer: "Nah. It's okay. Don't trouble yourself. We can do it ourselves."

When she turned back, she saw the two of them leaning over her brother. She ambled to her seat and sat down on her own seat, which was now next to two other vacant chairs. Mello spent a few more moments examining Light before following suit.

Matt took off the cover plates a few platters and handed the dishes to Sayu and Mello before sitting down with his own meal.

They all ate in awkward silence for a while. Only the beeping sounds from the electrocardiogram could be heard.

**xxx**

The plates were now empty and back on the cart.

Mello had his elbow planted on his thigh. He rested his chin on his palm and bended forward in his seat. "So…he's your brother?"

"Yes," Sayu replied in the same quiet voice. "He's my big brother. My only brother."

Still keeping his eyes glued on Light, the blond nodded.

Sayu opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it before a single sound could come out. She pressed her lips together before attempting to speak again. "And you…umm…Mello?"

Mello tore his ice-blue eyes off Light and fixed them at Sayu. "Yes?" The palm he was resting on wobbled as he spoke.

"Are you and…ummm…Matt brothers?"

Mello directed his eyes to Matt, and Matt turned his head to face Mello. They started chuckling.

"Nah," Mello replied. "We both came from the same orphanage. But I guess we are close enough to be brothers."

Sayu's voice dropped. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Mello waved his hand, as if to dismiss the matter. "It's fine. No need to worry your pretty, little head over it."

The silence was creeping in again when Matt finally spoke up, "So, you and your brother? You two are close?"

"Yup. He would help me out with my homework, and we would play video games or stroll down the city. But he was so busy recently that I could barely even see him anymore, let alone hang out with him."

"Ah…I see. He sounds like a nice brother. I'd love to have someone to play video games with. Mello won't play with me because he says they're stupid."

She saw Mello punch Matt lightly on the arm. She gave a low chuckle.

She turned back at Light, and her small smile fell. She cupped her hands together and placed them on her lap. "Do you think my brother will get better?"

The ends of Matt's lips quivered as he spoke, "We can only hope for the best."

Sayu nodded and took out another piece of origami paper from the table next to her. She had barely begun folding it when Matt piped in: "Whatcha doing?"

"Making a paper crane," she answered as she continued pinching the edges of the paper. "I asked Otou-san to leave me a stack of origami paper, so I could fold them into paper cranes. When I was a little kid, Light-nii told me an ancient legend that says that folding a thousand paper cranes can make your wish come true. Right now, I'm wishing that Light-nii would wake up."

"So how many have you made so far?"

She murmured her prayer to the newly-folded crane. She held it before the two of them. "This is my 274th."

"So still 726 left to go…"

She plucked another piece of colored paper from the stack. "Soon, it'll be 725."

"Mind if we join you then?"

She looked up from her work. Mello and Matt were both holding a sheet of paper in their hands. "But…umm…you got to teach us how to do that?"

Sayu couldn't help but smile. "It'd be easier if the two of you were sitting down…Okay. Fold one edge to meet the other like this. Yup. Just like that. Open the paper, and lay it flat. Now, fold it diagonally…Careful! Don't rip the paper!"

"You have to do it gently, Mello!"

"How is this not gentle, Matt? I can fold a piece of pa-" _**RIIIPPPPP!**_ "N-nothing happened. Let me just get another piece of paper…"

**xxx**

Paper cranes of all colors covered the hospital room. There were too many of them to fit on top of the table, so some made their way to the floor.

The three spent the whole night folding the cranes. Mello and Matt had gotten the hang of it after some practice.

(_"See, Matt! I told you I could do it!" _

"_Well, my crane is better! It isn't all crumpled up like yours!" _

"_Take that back! My crane isn't crumpled up! It was made with care and love!" _)

It was already morning, and Mello and Matt had dozed off in their seats some time ago. Only Sayu was awake, still busy folding.

She took out the brightest and shiniest origami paper she could find. With utmost care, she creased the paper's golden edges. This was the crane that would make her wish come true...

She yawned. Exhaustion was catching up on her. Right after she made that crane, she would go to sleep as well.

With shaky hands, she brought it near her lips, so she could whisper into it. This was it. The 1000th paper crane. The crane that would make her wish come true…

She wasted no time. She jumped out of her seat and held the glimmering paper crane near Light's face. She broke into a wide grin. "Nee, Onii-san! A thousand paper cranes! You know what that means!"

She rested it on his open palm and bent his fingers, so he was gripping it lightly. She let go of his hand. Her eyes went wide when his hand moved on its own accord and gripped the paper crane tighter.

Her eyes snapped to his face. All of a sudden, her dark eyes were welling with hot tears.

Light's eyelids were fluttering open. He blinked a few times before to her. She thought the chocolate brown would melt out of his eyes from the sweetness in his gaze. She saw his smile even behind the oxygen mask, before he parted his lips again.

She heard a voice so soft that she couldn't tell if she had really heard Light speak or if it were merely just a figment of her imagination.

But she thought it said:

"_Congratulations."_

**ATTENTION! Please read: **Hey, guys! It's been…ummm…two years? Well, I did tell you that I wouldn't update in a long time…Hehehe…_(hides from the possible egging)_

Sorry about that! I was really busy with school, and I was getting into other fandoms. While I was gone, I got into Axis Powers Hetalia and Ace Attorney. Currently, I'm obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh. It was my childhood anime. I got back into it because of Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series on Youtube and the last five episodes on the anime. I got into drawing and pretty much abandoned writing in general for a year.

I'm sorry if the characters seem OOC. I'm not active in the Death Note fandom anymore and have forgotten a lot about the characters.

I joined Creative Writing this year, and it rekindled my love for writing. However, I got pretty discouraged from writing fiction. I found that I write fiction the worst out of the three major types of literature. (And I discovered that I'm pretty good at writing poetry. Who knew?)

I'll be honest. I was thinking of abandoning my account and all the incomplete fics attached to it. I've had this account since I was 11 and am experiencing old shame. Some of my family and friends knew my old penname, so I changed it to "l'envoi," as I'm saying goodbye to this account.

I realized that I'm too much of a perfectionist when it comes to writing fiction, and it becomes really taxing that I no longer enjoy writing it and end up dumping it. That's actually the biggest reason why I take so long to update.

I wanted to start again on some other account for the longest time. I plan to be much more laidback when it comes to writing fiction. I already have a new account up. But I didn't want to abandon "Porcelain Doll," so here I am updating! Yay! As of now, as long as the fiction muse bothers me with an idea for this fic, I'll be updating here. However, I will not be posting any new fics on this account.

I'll admit that I rushed writing the second part of the fic. If I didn't, then I probably wouldn't have posted this chapter for another few months.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to tell me what you think! :D See you in another two years! Hehehe…:D;;; _(runs away)_


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